The discussion on the energy transformation (Energiewende) began among Germans in the 1970s, on the wave of growing environmental awareness. It took a standardized form at the turn of the 20th and 21st centuries, during the reign of Gerhard Schröder. It was then (in 2000) that the first legal act driving the transformation of the energy sector was introduced - the EEG, which granted subsidies for the exploitation of renewable sources. The development of renewable energy sources was one of the three foundations of the German Energiewende. The rest was moving away from coal and the shutdown of existing nuclear power plants. All things considered, the German energy transformation was to set a modern path to saving the climate and "green” economic changes. This process, however, has other, more particular goals.

The (in)explicable turn against the atom

While the transformation towards the expansion of the renewable energy park and the decommissioning of coal-fired power plants does not raise any objections as to the sense, the decommissioning of nuclear power is hugely controversial. This postulate of Germany's energy policy contradicts the findings of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, which stated in most of its scenarios that nuclear power is needed to stem global rises of average temperatures.

Meanwhile, Berlin authorities want to close its nuclear units (this is to take place in 2022) and counteract the financing of the construction of similar power plants from European Union funds (which is included in the CDU / CSU-SPD coalition agreement). In March 2020, the German Federal Ministry of the Environment issued an official programming document that confirms these intentions.

In this study we can find: 

Part of a larger geopolitical game

The above fragment can be seen as an announcement of the exertion of political pressure on other European countries by the German federal government, aiming to persuade these countries to abandon nuclear energy. It is, therefore, an official extension of Germany's policy, which Germany has been implementing for some time, aimed at making it as difficult as possible to create new EU powers in the nuclear power plant. Such an approach is enshrined in the coalition agreement cementing the cooperation of the ruling parties in Germany. Now, however, the Ministry of Environment has indicated that Germany will be "actively promoting" the respective policies of other European countries.

This "active promotion" has already started. At the end of November 2019, German SPD MEPs tried to include a fragment in the EU resolution prepared for the COP25 summit, which announced the shut-down of European nuclear power plants. MEPs Delara Burkhardt, Tiemo Wölken and Constanze Krehl proposed an amendment to the document, which read as follows: jobs for people working in the nuclear sector with plans for the safe decommissioning of nuclear power plants and the safe disposal of nuclear waste ".

In turn, in December 2019, the media reported that the European Greens intend to tighten the new taxonomy rigours (i.e., the European Union's investment plan) so that nuclear energy would not have a chance to meet them. The Green Faction in the European Parliament has 75 members, 1/3 of which (including the deputy chairman) are MEPs from Germany.

In October 2020, Olaf Lies, the SPD's minister of the environment in the government of Lower Saxony, stated that he would do "everything in his power" to prevent the development of nuclear energy in the Netherlands, bordering his federal state. This announcement came after the declaration by the ruling Dutch party, which announced plans to return to nuclear energy. The Greens from Lower Saxony also took to the floor on this matter. They have announced cooperation with the Dutch sister party GroenLinks to slow down work on constructing new nuclear power plants.

Ecology vs politics

Shutting down nuclear power plants could undermine Europe's energy security and torpedo efforts to stem climate change. So why is Germany taking steps in this direction? Promoting the decommissioning from nuclear power has a hidden political goal for Berlin - the shutdown of nuclear blocks in Europe (especially in its central and eastern parts) will increase the demand for gas, which Germany will have in abundance via the two Nord Stream gas pipelines. Germany - before the coronavirus pandemic - exported approx. 30 billion cubic meters of the blue fuel.

Germany's central location on the European map predestines this country to the role of a central distribution hub. This position is strengthened thanks to the well-developed German transmission infrastructure, that is, first of all, efficient inter-connectors. All this means that Germany can harness Russian gas to build its own political and economic position. This raw material goes to them without any intermediaries and in huge quantities. Besides, good relations with Russia mean that Berlin authorities pay a very attractive price for the blue fuel (less than Poland, which lies closer to Russia). Therefore, Germany owns gas taps, influences its prices, and can make money on it.

It is worth noting that Germany is implementing its anti-nuclear intentions even despite several - quite compromising - situations, such as the need to connect the new coal-fired power plant Datteln 4 to the grid or reactivating the officially shut down Heyden coal-fired power plant. Berlin is skilfully trying to cover such situations with an appropriate narrative that emphasizes changes. Thanks to this, the Germans managed, among other things, to divert attention from the fact that their country is the largest lignite consumer in the world and will only give up coal fuel in 2038.

Considering the above, it is clear that the Energiewende is not a pro-ecological energy transformation but a comprehensive plan for building Berlin's new political and economic influence in Europe. This awareness is essential for the political elite.

Author: Jakub Wiech, deputy editor-in-chief of Energetyka24

The TOGETAIR editorial team prepared the title and subtitles.